The present invention relates to raspberry seed oil derivatives derived by the reaction of specific beta branched alcohols, referred to as guerbet alcohols and cold pressed raspberry seed oil. The choice of cold pressed raspberry seed oil as a raw material in the preparation of the compounds of the present invention is critical, since it has been found that the cold pressed raspberry seed oil contains a unique antioxidant which when reacted with a guerbet alcohol result in products that deliver said actives to the skin and hair, resulting in protection of the skin and hair from environmental factors such as acid rain, ozone attack and UV degradation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,391,345 issued May 2002 describes the refining of cold pressed raspberry seed oil, and is incorporated herein by reference. American cranberries, Vaccinium macrocarpon, are native plants of open, acid peat bogs in North America. Raspberry plants are evergreen perennial vines that produce runners and upright branches with terminal flower buds.
Raspberries have historically been harvested and either ingested as whole berries, such as in raspberry sauce, or have been processed for their juice. Pulp remaining after raspberry juice extraction processing has historically been regarded as an undesirable waste product with little or no utility.
Raspberries are grown all over the world. They are a popular food, consumed in large quantities.
Raspberries contain ellagic acid (C14H6O8). This acid is a non-flavonoid polyphenol present in the form of hydrolysable tannins, which has been found to protect chromosomes from radiation induced lipid peroxidation.
Raspberry oil contains a high level of omega 3 and omega 6 linoleic acid. These are essential fatty acids. Under normal circumstances, oils useful in the cosmetic industry are refined with a variety of steps that are designed to maximize triglyceride content, and minimize color and odor. These steps include steam distillation, a process in which steam is sparged through the oil to remove odor and color bodies and solvent extraction with compounds like hexane, which remove additional odor and color bodies. We have learned that these processes, while improving color and odor, remove many of the desirable “active” materials. What results is a light color, low odor triglyceride with no appreciable added skin benefits. We have surprisingly learned that when the raspberry seed oil that is cold processed is reacted with specific guerbet alcohol compounds, the actives (normally removed in non-cold press process) remain in the product, become water-soluble and have outstanding activity on the skin. In essence two things happen when the cold pressed raspberry seed oil is reacted with dimethicone copolyol. First the triglyceride reacts with the hydroxyl group of the guerbet compound, giving a oil-soluble ester. Secondly, these specific ester solubilizes the active components there as a consequence of cold pressing. Thirdly, these very desirable materials are deposited on the skin by the ester, based upon its proclivity to remain on the skin. The result is a unique delivery of the actives to the skin from totally natural fruit oil.
Guerbet alcohols have been known for many years, primarily for their liquidity at high molecular weight. Over the years there have been a number of derivatives patented. U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,236 to O'Lenick discloses a guerbet citric ester and polymers thereof useful in plastic lubrication. U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,121 issued Jan. 30, 1996 to O'Lenick teaches that esters based upon a guerbet acid and guerbet alcohol have surprisingly good liquidity. However these patents did not disclose or suggest the possibility of using cold pressed raspberry seed oil that is rich in antioxidants and other actives that could be delivered to the skin using a specific ester as a delivery molecule.